Notes: Ran amazing 8.35 at 178 at Riverside Raceway during Memorial Day weekend in 1959, a pass that was among the fastest and quickest times run by its traditional contemporaries, but the body cracked on the run and disintegrated. - Phil Burgess

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 11:21:25 AM by
Super Crew.

Notes: Cool pink moon discs on back slicks. | I have a very nice story involving Raymond Beadle. It was 1987. We were running Shirley's P.A.W. car at the Texas Motorplex. Running a canopy at that time. Ran 284.47 mph on a qualifying run. Split the canopy in half in the lights. No spare. Beadle hands me the keys to his fab shop on Fabens Rd. He says, "John. The heck with that canopy. Just go make a regular (Al Swindahl type) windshield at my shop tonight! But... just don't leave a big mess, cuz Emery will blow a head gasket!" So, that's what I did. On the next run, the car ran 284.90! - John Muldowney, 10-21-14, the day after Raymond Beadle died

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Friday, August 12, 2016, 08:47:37 PM by
John Bockelman.

Notes: Qualified number one at Tulsa PRA National Challenge at 6.241, 231.36. On 5-08-72, Don is Top Eliminator at AHRA Nationals-6.33 seconds at 229.59 mph. Gainesville 72 times of 6.15, 243.90 were the quickest ever at the time, but were not backed up. 6.19 Times from National Dragster, December 29, 1972, at Gainesville. Ran 6.10 at NHRA WCS Meet in Saginaw, Michigan, on 7-72. 6.19 Martin, 6.49 Pomona, 6.15 Gainesville, 6.24 Tulsa

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Sunday, November 27, 2016, 12:38:50 AM by
Freddie Young.

Notes: ET and speed confirmed by Jim Hawkins' DragStats. Also 4.564 National Record at 97 Winternationals. Big speeds included 317.57 National Record at Houston Slick 50 Nats and 318.24 National Record at Indy. Ran 4.600 low qualifier at NHRA Indy. Second car over 320 at 320.17 (Ennis 10-97) after Coy Mac.

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Monday, February 20, 2012, 12:11:28 PM by
David Oakes.

Notes: Woody Gilmore built the chassis for this car after Hoover's previous half-year-old rail was stolen. But it was the gorgeous Tom Hanna-hammered aluminum body that this car is best remembered for. No list of the most beautiful FEDs omits this racecar. The swoopy tailpiece included streamlined "portholes" into which Hanna incorporated custom woodgrain inserts. Hoover's dragster became known as the "Fishbowl Car" because, while under construction, Hanna joked to a magazine writer that Hoover was going to put a fish aquarium in there. Hoover ran the car for two years, then sold it. It was raced for a couple more years, then disappeared. It has since been recreated (with Hoover's and Hanna's blessing) by Creative Metalworks in Minnesota. -- RT

Submitted by Ron Thums, Last updated on Saturday, September 3, 2016, 09:37:01 PM by
Ron Howard.
Approved by Bill Pratt.

Notes: Photo from Columbus 1987. NHRA World Champ in 1987. Won inaugural All Stars race with best of 5.24 at 276.15 at Ennis (finals held at Southern Nationals after finals rained out in Ennis). Set national record at 5.171 at 87 Summernationals (low qualifier) before resetting record to 5.124 at Keystones, then went 5.118 to qualify number one at World Finals. Also went 5.124 at 87 Cragar Classic. Ran 271.00 at 87 Gators and 274.13 at 87 US Nats, 281.07 at Cragar Classic, and 278.55 somewhere. | The Miller American cars were owned by Dick LaHaie, not Larry Minor. Larry had the sponsorship deal and got Dick to run his car under the colors while Minor raced his own (Ex Gary Beck) car and the funny cars. - Dick LaHaie, Racin & Rockin Radio, 2/24/14

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Monday, February 24, 2014, 09:29:02 PM by
Jim Hawkins.

Notes: Four-day-old dragster won Ennis 89 with a 4.972 at 291.26 over Gwynn (holeshot over Darrell's 4.940). Quickest and fastest at the time (speed tied with Brotherton, but Ormsby got the records). Also 4.926 at 89 Chiefs for the backup. Also 291.63 national record at Keystones and 293.73. Became the fifth entry in the Cragar 4-Second Club for Top Fuel with a 4.991 on June 10, 1989, at Columbus. Photo from Columbus 1989. What can you say about Ormsby in '89, six NHRA National event wins and the TF championship. He started the season by qualifying #2 at Pomona with a 5.04-284.72 and went on to win the Winnternationals by running a 5.07-277.52 over Shirley Muldowney's 5.13-275, a second round 5.07-280.19 beat Jack Ostrander and in the semifinals, he beat Dennis Forcelle's 5.18-262 with a 5.05-278.81. In the final, he met Frank Bradley and a consistent 5.05-278.81 beat Bradley's 5.28-260. He went two for two when he won the next race, the Supernationals at Houston. There he qualified way back in the #12 spot with a 5.11 and another 5.11 in the first round beat Richard Holcomb. He was running like a bracket racer when in the second round he beat Lori Johns' 5.13 with yet another 5.11. In the semifinals, he quickened his pace to a 5.08-278 to beat a tire-smoking Frank Cook. In the final, he met up with a strong running Joe Amato who had set low ET (4.99). Joe ran a final round 5.03-288 but lost to Ormsby's holeshot, 5.09-278.12. The next NHRA event was the Gatornationals where Gary ran a 5.09 to qualify #2. Unfortunately, a first round 5.16 lost to Hank Endres' 5.13. It was then off to Atlanta for the Southern Nationals. A 5.13-275.89 qualified #4. He beat Connie Kalitta and Amato in the first two rounds with times of 5.17-276.83 and 5.20-275.06 but he slowed to a 5.32-272.14 in the semifinal and lost to Eddie Hill's 5.20-267. Race five on the schedule was the Mid-South Nationals at Memphis. Gary took his first pole of the year with a 5.03-287.35. Robert Reehl lost to Ormsby's 5.16 in the first round and in round two, Gary ran a 5.06-286 over Bradley's strong 5.10. In the semifinals, both he and Darrell Gwynn ran 5.04's but the Castrol car won. In the final, he took his third win of the season with a 5.03-287 beating Hill. Race six was the Cajun Nationals where a 5.15-284.90 qualified #2. Frank Hawley beat him in the first round when Gary smoked the tires. The next stop on the tour was the Springnationals. Gary qualified first with National Trail's first four-second pass, a 4.99 at a track record speed as well at 287.53 (tied by Gene Snow). He beat Rudy Toepke in the first round with a 5.03 and a second round 5.12-264 beat Forcelle, but in the semifinals, he smoked the tires and lost to Amato. The tour shifted to Canada for the Grandnationals. There Ormsby used a 5.14-279.24 to qualify #2. He ran runs of 5.11-282.39 (low ET & tying top speed) over Pat Dakin, 5.18-278.46 over Forcelle, and a semifinal 5.19-276.83 over Johns to meet Dick LaHaie in the final. Gary got his fourth win of the season with a 5.15-278.98 beating Dick's 5.21-274. Englishtown was next and a 5.19-278.81 qualified #9 for the Summernationals. This set up a first round meeting with low qualifier Bradley. Gary beat Frank in the first round and went on to beat Earl Whitting with a 5.17-280 and Hill in the semis with a 5.18-281. In the final, he met LaHaie again but this time, the roles were reversed with Dick's 5.11-282 beating Gary's 5.24-271.57. Next came the Mile High Nationals in Denver. A 5.25-270.43 in the thin air was good enough to qualify #3. He beat Kalitta in the first round and a 5.27-270 beat Hill in round two. He picked up to a 5.22-264 in the semi's to beat Johns' 5.27-271. In the final, he ran Amato and an off-pace 5.33-270.75 gave Gary his second runner-up in a row. The tour moved on to the California Nationals run on July 30. Ormsby ran a 5.05-289.29 to qualify #2. In the first round he beat Cook's 5.19-269 with a 5.09-289.85 (top speed), but in round two the car fell off to a 5.52-282.39 that lost to Jim Head's 5.21-271. Seattle was the next stop for the Seafair Nationals. A 5.05-285.44 qualified #3. He beat Gwynn in the first round with a 5.04-283.82. In round two, a 5.11-280.81 beat Shirley Muldowney's 5.14-282. Unfortunately for Gary, a semifinal 5.14-279.15 lost to Amato's 5.07-273. The next event was not to Gary's liking. He had qualified well at the Northstar Nationals with a 5.15-282.75 but in the first round against Kalitta he crashed and totaled his car when he hit the guardrail. He was OK, the car was not.

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Saturday, August 6, 2016, 11:05:46 PM by
Ron Howard.
Approved by Bill Pratt.

Notes: Ninth member of the Cragar Four Second Club with this 4.996 at Dallas on Oct. 7, 1989. Also ran 292.49 and 293.06 before the 294.88. All were speed records for the time. Photo from Milan, MI 1989.

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, 10:48:17 AM by
Danny White.
Approved by Danny White.

Notes: Rick Howard photo from 1999 NHRA Pontiac Excitement Nats, Columbus. Qualified 4th at 4.65, 308.71. Lost to Paul Romine in first round. The 330.23 at Phoenix was fastest ever, but was not backed up for the record. Did run 326.91 mph to set the record at Ennis 10-99. Also 4.601 at 99 Winters, 325.77 at 99 Gators, and 327.27 at Ennis Spring 99.

Submitted by Draglist Archives, Last updated on Friday, August 9, 2013, 01:41:31 PM by
Mitch Osika.
Approved by Bill Pratt.

Notes: World champ 2005. Reset speed record three times in 2005: Winternationals - 334.65 (4.452), Houston - 335.32, and Columbus - 336.15. Low qualifier at 2005 Winters at 4.447, 326.79. Brainerd 337.58 remains the fastest speed in top fuel history. (The sport went to 1000 foot distance in 2008).

Submitted by Gena White, Last updated on Friday, August 9, 2013, 04:31:21 PM by
John Bockelman.